Questions about False Labor/Braxton Hicks Contractions

[AndreaMMS]

Hi, ladies~~

I am currently almost 35 weeks along, and while I have had sporadic contractions for weeks, starting yesterday I started getting them every 3-8 minutes apart. My doctor sent me to the hospital, and I was completely closed and only 10-20% effaced. They gave me IV fluids, thinking maybe I was dehydrated, and sent me home. The contractions have continued all last night and all of today. I'm exhausted!

So I'm wondering - anyone else have contractions like this? How long until you delivered? And did they continue through the entire end of the pregnancy?

Thanks so much!

[phart]

I had BHC for weeks and they could often be timed. Doc said if I could talk through them then it wasn't the *real deal*. Hope they let up for you.

[nicks]

Can one of you girls try to explain what BH feel like? I am 32 weeks and don't think I have had any. How many weeks were you when you starting having them? I do have an uncomfortable feeling at the very top of my belly but I am thinking that is just the baby pressing on stuff??? Any insight is much appreciated!

Brooke

[solongtogo]

Can one of you girls try to explain what BH feel like? I am 32 weeks and don't think I have had any. How many weeks were you when you starting having them? I do have an uncomfortable feeling at the very top of my belly but I am thinking that is just the baby pressing on stuff??? Any insight is much appreciated!

Brooke

You might not get them until later..I had a few rounds with it at like 27 weeks, and the best way to describe them is tightening of your uterus. They hurt..and that's why they're often confused with real labor. They're not regular though...and can't be timed. I hear real labor pains are much more intense, but BX is no fun.

[Mickey&B]

I have been having them off and on for weeks and I still have not delivered. My BHC feel more like tightening in my stomach, not painful, but sometimes uncomfortable. My midwife told me that the cramping feeling is more likely what is dialating your cervix these pains however are a little more painful, I have been able to time them both, but neither one have been regular.

[nicks]

Thanks girls. I don't think I have had any yet.

[adoredh]

I get 6 to 20 BH's every day (some times more)

My belly gets really tight, and rounds up in the middle. Sometimes it's hard to breath though them, sometimes it's just uncomfortable, sometimes it hurts. They can last anywhere from 20 seconds to almost 2 mins. I've only been wakened up by them a couple of times though, so I'm still able to get sleep.

Sleep might help if they are keeping you up at night, ask for an Ambien?

(funny, I'm having one right now! LOL!)

Also, drink a TON of water, that helps out big time! I can tell when I haven't been keeping up on my water, that's when I have the days where I could time them.

[nicks]

Is back pain anything to be worried about? I have heard of "back labor" but I am not sure if that only happens during real labor? The back pain it really high in my back, almost in my shoulder blades. Is this just another normal pregnancy discomfort?

[SD601]

Andrea, please keep an eye on that. When I was 32 weeks, I hadnormal braxton hicks but felt a ton of pressure down there. My cervix was tight and closed just two weeks prior, so I thought it was normal. It turned out to be preterm labor, which luckily they stopped until 35 weeks.

They say you will "know" when they are real contractions, but I honestly didn't. Make sure you trust yourself if you are concerned. I know it's safe to deliver now, but still be careful.

And Nicks, I had back labor, but it was in the middle of my back. I don't think high back pain is a labor sign, but I'm certainly not an expert. HTH!

[AndreaMMS]

Thank you all for your replies!

It's now Friday and I am STILL contracting every few minutes, all day and all night long! Luckily I have been able to sleep alright - just get up a lot.

I had another internal exam on Wednesday, and I was told I hadn't progressed since Monday - 10-20% effaced, soft and closed.

Both my doctor and my birthing-class teacher have told me the same thing - some women just have this - and I could be like this for weeks. :eek: :rolleyes: UGH! My birthing class teacher did say that I probably won't go through the entire 40 weeks though. In fact, as I am now 35 weeks if I DID go into real labor now they wouldn't stop it.

SD601 - thank you for your concern. They tell me the same thing - that I'll "know" when it's the real thing because it will hurt much more and they will be a consistant amount of minutes apart (instead of randomly 3-10 minutes apart), but I've gotta say- this is very unnerving.

[BTB]

I could've written your post at 35w - and I delivered at 37w. Of course that's a grand n=1 so YMMV. :D

[Ohana]

I had a lot of BH contrax at 33 weeks and ended up in the hospital for monitoring. Turns out I was dehydrated and erm, got a little too vigorous with DH the night before. Once I got some rest and made sure I stayed hydrated, it got a lot better. I still had some BH every day until I delivered, though.

Oh, and if it hadn't been for my water breaking, I wouldn't have known I was in labor based on the contrax. They weren't any different than the BH until I was given pit to move things along. Just throwing that out there...

[adoredh]

Thought I'd pop in, I just had my 34 week apt, while they were trying to get the heart rate, I had a contrax, and when she felt to see if he was head down still, I had another contrax. They said that some women just have a ton of contrax prior, that it won't make labor any easier, but might make the cervix dialate a little sooner. So they are doing an internal exam next apointment, and I'm to call right away if I have bloody show, water breaking (duh) or contrax that I can't talk through for a constant hour at 5 mins apart. Other wise, this is all normal, although my tummy is starting to get sore. I can tell the contrax now, not just by the tighting of my tummy, but because the my sides feel like they have a stitch (the kind you get from running) It's going to be an intresting next 6 weeks! :p

Again, just drink a TON of water, it really does make a HUGE difference!

[ShelbyMay]

Bumping this up in case anyone else wants to share their story -- I'm sitting here timing my BH and wondering if I've been having "too many" or if this is just a normal part of my pregnancy.

It's really hard trying to decipher these "signs" when you've never been through it before!

(Plus, I'm bored and I can tell my DH doesn't want to hear about every single twinge until I think it's the "real thing"!)

[Soulmate]

I'm right there with ya ShelbyMay. I get so many BHs and they are often time-able (some 5 minutes apart but not consistent at all). But I've also had them like this for 3 weeks or so. I am getting very used to them. I also started Rasberry Leaf tea which is making them stronger but they do not hurt at all. I had an internal Friday and do not want to know the details, but my midwife does. She didn't say anything about delivering soon or early.

[maybebaby]

I am thirty six weeks, and I have been having the same phenomenon lately. When I went to the doctor, my cervix was closed and the baby has not dropped yet. I don't really know what to make of it.

[Lizard]

Bumping this again. I'm 39 weeks and have had BH contrax on and off through the pregnancy. But since Sunday night, I have had them between 5-10 minutes apart, ALL day long. I'm fairly sure I have them all night too, although I'm sleeping OK. Only a few of them are remotely painful.

My OB has said time and time again that he wants me to call him when I have "table-gripper" contrax between 5-10 minutes apart for a full hour. I'm not having that, so I'm hesitant to even call to ask about this. Is this just one of those annoying parts of late-term pregnancy? It just seems like SO many contrax for such a long time period, and it's wearing me out! :)

(FYI, I don't think I'm dehydrated... I've been making sure to drink plenty of fluids the past few days just in case, but it hasn't seemed to make a difference.)

[tgoody03]

bumping again! Wondering if any of you can help. I'm having what I originally thought were contractions, but am now wondering if they are BH. I've had these "contractions" each time I have DTD with DH in the past week.

Here's the stats on me: I'm 39 weeks, 3 cms dilated, and as effaced as I can be without being in labor (drs. words).

Here's what I'm feeling: My stomach is tightening only a little bit (or maybe I'm not really noticing it b/c it's already big and full due to my stage in pregnancy). But, mostly I'm having cramp like feelings that last 1 - 2 minutes a piece in my lower abdomen. Sometimes they feel like they start in my back and move forward, but sometimes they are only in the front. I definitely have lingering back pain when this occurs though that seems to end a little while after the stomach pain. Like right now - I'm having this feeling in the front and back of my lower abdomen and lower back. I'd say these hurt. Not painful like I can't walk or talk, but they hurt. Also, when I lie down they hurt worse than when I sit up or walk. Changing positions doesn't make them stop. I've been having what I just described for about 1hr20 mins now .... the cramping started about 10 mins apart and now is about 3 or 4 mins apart. When I had these the other night, they lasted about 2 hrs with the cramps getting closer together until they were about 2 mins apart, then got further apart and eventually went away.

See, it sounds partially like BH and partially like real contractions. I know they say "you'll know" when you are having real contractions, but like I said I'm already 3 cms dilated and can't recall having any contractions until the end of last week and they are what I'm describing. Also, my last friend to have a baby was 5 cms and didn't even know.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any thoughts!!

ETA: Now that I am paying attention, I can tell my stomach is getting hard when I have these feelings. It's higher up than the cramps, like above my belly button.

[Delta]

tgoody - I'd say you're in early labor. ;)

[tgoody03]

Wow! Do you really think? They are still going on .... much longer than the other time I experienced this ... nearly 3 hrs now. And, these little cramps are closer together now, like 2-5 mins apart. Hm. I wonder!! Thanks Delta. I'm just sitting here wondering so it's nice you were up and replied! :)

[ahavnes]

I was one of those people who didn't "really know" when I was having contractions. My water broke in the middle of the night 2 days after my due date. When I got to the hospital and got hooked up to the monitor, the nurse said "oh, I see you're contracting every 5 minutes." :confused: I was like "huh? I've been having those for a week. I thought it was just the baby moving." :o The moral of the story is that you can really be in early labor and not even know it. It does happen. :)

Good luck! Either way, you'll have your little one soon, although I know it seems like an eternity.

[MichelleRenee]

I hate to make anyone worry needlessly, but I have a friend who was having what she thought were BH contractions and it turns out she had been in labor (pre-term) and they had to give her medication to stop the labor. She said the contractions didn't hurt at all and she just happened to be at the dr for an appt.

Then 5 weeks later when she was 36 weeks she had more BH contractions and they were hurting pretty bad, but she could still talk. When she called they said "if you can still talk they aren't real contractions." The next day she was at the dr for another scheduled appt and they said she was 5cm dilated and they sent her for a c/s immediately. (she was supposed to have a scheduled one the following week)

This is what frustrates me... the dr's knew she had started pre-term labor previously and didn't feel it, yet they still told her when she had contractions later that they "weren't real" if she could still talk. And it turns out she WAS in labor during those.

So what's a girl to do? If you call and you can still talk they tell you to stay home, but obviously everyone experiences contractions differently. I don't want to be one of those women who goes in multiple times due to false labor, but clearly one's persons false labor is another person's "real thing."

[Soulmate]

"if you can still talk they aren't real contractions." I would partially disagree with this. I labored for 12 hours at home and could talk through my contractions and they were *real* contractions. I was actually on the phone with the drs office and had multiple contrations in that time (at the 12 hour mark). It was not easy to talk but do-able especially in early early labor. Now as you get closer to transition you cannot talk during the contraction. In my Bradley class they told me that if you are talking and smiling you are not in active (late stage) labor and to stay home until that time. I was talking and *laughing* in between contractions while I was in transition (before my water was broken...that is a whole other situation - ouch!). If I followed the signposts according to Bradley I could have given birth at home!

For me the difference between labor and BH was that the labor contracts were more crampy with the tightening. Also they were more distinct and very obviously regular even more so than regular BHs.

[kiki61872]

bumping with a quesiton that has not been answered.....


anyone get BH with their second pregnancy and how far along in your pregnancy did you start to feel them?

[Jenzen01]

kiki - I had a ton of BHs with both pregnancies. They started pretty early both times, I'd say 26 weeks is being conservative. Now that I'm at the end, they're painful and more frequent. In fact, I'm having a hard time deciding if they're real contractions or not this morning. :rolleyes:

[ajlanden]

kiki61872-I didn't feel them at all with #1. I probably started feeling them around 24 weeks with #2. Really early. I went into labor at 37 weeks with #2.

[Toonces]

anyone get BH with their second pregnancy and how far along in your pregnancy did you start to feel them?

I had one instance of BH with DC2 at in the early 20s (brought on by extreme heat and dehydration). Then I didn't start having them again until early 30s. I'm almost 34 weeks and have them pretty regularly - mabye every other day and usually in the early evening. If it seems like I'm having a lot I drink a bunch of water and lay (lie??) down, and they have stopped.

With my 1st pregnancy I was having them regularly - 2 minutes apart! I didn't even know they were contrax. :o I was admitted 3 times for what they called "pre-term contrax"; it wasn't PTL b/c I wasn't dilated. I was on bedrest for other things and taken off of bedrest at 38 weeks. I continued to contract very regularly, was only one fingertip dilated at 40 weeks, and was induced for med reasons.

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I was admitted and observed at 29 weeks. When they hooked up the fetal monitor I was having regular BH contractions every 2-5 minutes, although I didn't feel all of them. Still closed up tight though...